Does anyone have any interesting, funny or bizarre stories about job interviews or recruitment?
Hi
I am trying collect horror stories about job interviews or recruitment for a project I am working on. They stories can be your own or a mate's or a co-worker's. If you have any funny, bizarre or unusual stories about job interviews can you respond or message me with them?
They can either be anonymous or if you wish to be credited for it please leave me your email address or details (first name, city, etc) and I can add you to the monthly draw for an MP3 alarm clock.
Cheers!!!!
Danielle
Answers (7)
Tom F
Editorial Director at BankInfoSecurity.com
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Danielle:
I had someone come in for a job interview a year or so ago, and when said person got up from the seat after what I thought was a very friendly, casual discussion ... there was a wet spot on the chair.
Talk about leaving an impression?
best,
Tom
Sriram G
HR Manager at AARGEE Staffing Services. Ltd. LION - 2700+ Sriram.linked@gmail.com
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Danielle,
This is my experience in my first job. I have asked my team member to call Commerce graduates for an interview. But the person has given a call to a Bank Manager who has applied for a different position in my company. The recruiter has not seen the resume fully she has just seen that he is a Commerce graduate and called that person.
He was in mid of a meeting during the call so he din't bother to ask anything about the position, he just asked from where the call was and immediately he said he will meet me at my office by the next day.
The next day when the profile came to my cabin for the interview and I was totally shocked and in the next few minutes I have prepared myself to conduct the interview called him and took the interview for him for a Branch head position and send him back. Even though he was a senior person he was waiting to see me with a walk-in crowd waiting out in my office reception. I can never forget this incident as this was the first interview I took for a Senior person.
But the good thing is he has joined my clients place after several rounds of interview
Regards,
Sriram
Eileen B
IT Professional, Information Security Quality Assurance Operations & Administration / President, CMU SEI LI SPIN
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During the Y2K "crunch" we were tag team interviewing a Cobol programmer with oodles of experience. When it came my turn to interview him, the previous interviewer came to get me at my desk, leaving out Cobol programmer alone in the conference room for 1-3 minutes. When I got to the conference room, he was fast asleep! Was the 2pm nap thing I guess.
Eileen
Ray M
Energy expert, educator, award winning sculptor
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As a soon to be graduating engineer I started scheduling on campus interviews for jobs related to the power industry in field service, as that was what I intended to do at the time.
When it came time for the GE interview I walked in to the assigned office and introduced myself to the corporate campus recruiter. She looked at my grades and said," You'll never work for GE. We only hire the top candidates". I told her I wanted to work in field service in power generation.
She said, "Oh, well then you might get hired." Hmmmmmmmmmm pretty flexible ideas about who can get hired, eh?
Seamus M
Recruitment Manager at Wandle Housing Association
Best Answers in: Staffing and Recruiting (1)
When running an assessment centre for a client we had a role playing exercise, we were recruiting for revenue control inspectors (public transport sector). I was the observer and a colleague played a customer. The candidate was required to challenge my colleague about their ticket as they were given very clear instructions before proceeding. We were looking to se how they would deal with difficult situation like this and how they handled a customer. The room was set out to reflect the inside of bus or train and my colleague sat there on their own reading a paper and oblivious to the inspector’s presence. This candidate then decided to question every imaginary person in each empty chair and totally ignored my colleague, the only live person on this imaginary vehicle. Needless to say he did progress any further.
Greg B
Dir Franchise Sales, Solar Universe; COO, GolfTraxx
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When I was much younger and looking for a job to pay for school, I went to an interview while I had the flu. I sat through the interview, holding things together. After leaving the interviewers office, I bee-lined it to the bath room and promptly threw-up ALL over the sinks, floor, etc.
Needless to say, I did not get an offer.
Hayley P
HR Interim Management Consultant at Archer Mathieson
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I managed to make it through a final interview for a company whilst being in excruciating pain. Managed to smile sweetly and leave the room, I made it back to my car (just!) and went straight to the hospital for emergency surgery with appendicitis! Spent the next two weeks in hospital, but I managed to get the job!!!!
